There are some people who want to spend their time obsessing over how nasty a certain independence blogger has been on Twitter. They’d prefer to vilify anyone who has dared to point out that the nasty thing he said was not nasty in the way they’d like it to be nasty. They’re obsessed with getting outraged on someone else’s behalf – and the someone else in this instance is a Tory MP and his MSP son. They’re attacking the couple of traditional print media outlets that we have, The National and iScot magazine, for their lack of ideological purity. They’re telling one and all that everyone who isn’t right on enough for their liking is causing a schism in the independence movement. Meanwhile there’s a case for independence that’s not being made and the only people who are benefiting from the entire episode are the Unionists.
Sometimes things need restating. This is an independence movement. It’s a national broad-based mass movement. That means that by definition it’s going to contain people that you disagree with, opinions that are not your own. It’s even going to encompass people and views that you personally might find objectionable. Because if you insist that everyone involved in the independence campaign must hold the same views that you do, and you’re going to vilify, name-call, and bully them on social media when they don’t, then you don’t really want a mass grassroots movement after all. You want a wee far left fan club. Fan clubs don’t win national self-determination. Fan clubs don’t achieve social change. Fan clubs are not capable of extending a welcoming message to those who don’t share the same narrow outlook.
Some people might be happy to restrict the message of independence and the benefits that it can bring to everyone in this benighted land to a handful of blogs which hardly anyone reads, which are so right on that it’s painful, where you can pat yourself on the back about how you and only you are the pure and real voice of the movement and everyone else is a dirty sell out. But I’m not happy with that, because I want to win. Winning means not just acknowledging that there is a diversity of views within the movement and within Scotland, it means revelling in it.
The independence campaign is about one thing and one thing only. It is about establishing the principle that the only sovereign body in Scotland is the people of Scotland. It’s about establishing the principle that that sovereign body provides the only legimitate authority to make decisions about the direction that Scotland takes as a society. What it’s not about is saying in advance what those decisions must be. What it’s certainly not about is insisting that those decisions must accord with the views of a small far left group whose adherents happen to be very noisy on Twitter. That is precisely how to lose an independence campaign.
Independence isn’t about the SNP party line either. The independence of Scotland is not predicated on how well an SNP government happens to be managing public services in a devolved administration. Other political parties will be available, other policy choices will be possible. An independent Scotland will be a democracy, it will have a non-SNP government sooner or later.
The campaign for independence is predicated on one thing, that is the belief that the best government for Scotland is a government which is elected by the people of Scotland and which is answerable to the people of Scotland and no one else. The campaign for independence is founded in the understanding that when a government is not accountable to the people, it does not govern in the interests of the people. Scotland has seen that over the decades, the centuries even, with successive Westminster governments which we didn’t elect and which did not and do not take decisions based on what is best for Scotland. Scotland has suffered as a consequence.
In Westminster Scotland doesn’t have a government which is accountable to the people of Scotland. Even when Scotland does make a democratic choice, even when the voters of this country reject a particular party or individual at the ballot box, up they pop shortly afterwards with a shiny new peerage and a job in government. Michael Forsyth and Ian Duncan were both rejected by the voters in elections, yet Duncan is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, and Forsyth is still exerting his malign influence on Scotland’s laws and legislation despite presiding over the greatest electoral humiliation in Scottish history.
Independence is the belief that Scotland needs a government that can be held accountable by the people of Scotland. That’s it. That’s what it’s all about. Everything else is window dressing. Independence is the belief that politicians of any hue cannot be trusted, and that we need to hold them close to us so that their arses are within kicking distance of our feet. We only need to look around us to see what happens when politicians are too remote to be held to account. We see soaring levels of poverty. We see deprivation. We see emigration being held up as a “benefit of the Union”.
Right now Scotland has a government in Westminster which we didn’t vote for, which is being propped up by a party that Scotland can’t vote for, and which is implementing a Brexit which Scotland voted against. A study published this week showed that that Brexit is going to affect Scotland worse than most parts of the UK, but we’re getting Brexit anyway. Scotland is getting Brexit even though Scotland didn’t vote for it, and Scotland has been told in no uncertain terms that it has no right to be consulted or involved in the decision making.
If Scotland must leave the EU, then that must be as a consequence of a democratic decision of the people of Scotland and be implemented by a government which is accountable to the people of Scotland and which is working to get the best outcome for the people of Scotland. We don’t have that. Not even close. Whatever you think of EU membership, Scotland effectively voted twice to remain a part of the EU, once in 2014 when we were told a vote for independence was a vote to leave the EU, and once in 2016 when Scotland voted to remain a part of the EU by a considerably higher margin that it had voted to remain a part of the UK in 2014. Yet here were are, getting dragged out of the EU anyway. That’s an outrage against democracy.
What is happening to Scottish democracy is far more worthy of getting outraged about than “He said something nasty on Twitter.” If we expect to win this independence campaign, it’s going to help to have a sense of perspective.
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[…] Wee Ginger Dug A sense of perspective […]
Well said! Nail, hit, head. As usual.
Amen to that!! Well said Paul!
As far as I’m concerned, the only effect this spat between “rival blog commentators” is having is for me to stop reading their stuff, and I’m not alone, I’ve seen several people on Facebook declaring that they have also stopped supporting these online blogs!
Seems to me that by picking sides in a fight against a rival, far more widely read and popular blog, they are only shooting themselves in the foot!
And of course, as you so eloquently put it, the only ones happy about that wee scenario are the yoons!
I’m not a fan of fanboy type posts – but bravo! You hit the nail on the head. Again.
Pretty much sums up how I’m feeling, Paul. Thank you.
Extremely well said- and it really really needed to be said. It is a sad state of affairs when somebody makes a snarky comment, but because it mentions homosexuality, the usual suspects jump up and down, stating that by extension, it simply MUST be homophobic. It isn’t and it wasn’t in the case of Stuart Campbell. I’m gay. just like the author of this blog, and would not be defending anybody who was ACTUALLY homophobic. To try to assert that I, as a gay person can merely state that I believe something is homophobic (even if it isn’t) and therefore that thing automagically becomes ‘homophobic’ is truly the most absurd tripe I have heard in many a year.
These scurrilous and wholly false cries of homophobia are piffle, which do nothing but undermine the real work being done to combat yer ACTUAL VERY REAL homophobia.
But the wider point Paul makes, is most important, the independence movement is not one wee narrow left wing sect, or as he succinctly puts it, fan club. No, it is a wide collection of people of many backgrounds who share ONE common goal, the restoration of full sovereignty to Scotland, and the removal of English interference.
Rev STU was openly and repeatedly called a homophobe, and since he is not (and nor was the comment referred to), he is perfectly entitled to pursue legal action against the perpetrator. THAT is the law.
Our goal is independence. Those who wish it ONLY to be independence based upon their own ideologically strict criteria which only fits their OWN personal agenda, and shout all others down, are the real hindrance.
What has astonished me in all this stramash is the number of people claiming to be gay who criticise others who are gay for not being radical enough! It’s the “I know better than you do what it means to be gay or what homophobia is!” brigade. My experience is better than your experience. By doing that, they are doing exactly what they say homophobia is, abusing a minority for their beliefs.
For me the issue is that Kez Dugdale abused her parliamentary privilege when she had her rant about Stu Campbell at Nicola Sturgeon, repeating what she had already said in print. It was also intended to diminish the SNP and by extension the Independence movement. (I would have been more impressed had Kez weighed in over the online abuse of Indy supporters and politicians.)
The resulting furore has done exactly that, with CommonSpace wading in on one side of the debate (not a good idea for a low key media outlet that states it is an independent organisation, but hey! Anything for publicity) and WGD on the other; not the only ones, true, but good examples. I don’t see this as an argument about a dubious tweet. I see it as an argument about an abuse of power intended to reduce the force/power of the Indy movement. But it has also exposed the fault lines in the LGBTQ community, and those in the Indy movement at a time when we should all be pulling together.
I agree Therapymum. Dugdale is the real bully here – misusing her position and wasting her parliamentary time pursuing a personal spat – albeit for political goals. Holyrood is not the place for that and she should have been told so at the time.
A great post. As a gay woman (if i even need to mention it) the whole rammy within the independence movement is a waste of energy. I took no offence at WoS original remark, but every offence at the cack-handed retort by Kezia Dugdale. I’m disappointed with Commonspace.
Actually it wasn’t Commonspace I was referring to in the article, but another blog which oozes self-righteousness and which mounted a very unpleasant attack on me over the weekend. I’m not linking to it because they don’t deserve any traffic.
actually Paul, Stu Campbell might have taken a leaf and laughed off Kez’s inane comments. like made one of snidey jokes. This way the whole thing has ballooned into an internecine war between groups of people who are supposed to be aiming in the same indy direction. Sad stuff. I don’t read much of WOS because I think he is pompous wind bag, but sometimes he opens up new thoughts, and Common Space article mentioned here, well I was amazed at it being published. If there is room for the dread Melanie Phillips to be applauded for standing out against the (I can’t quite believe I am about to write this next bit) far right US “commentators” (Gulp!) on the subject of wee Charlie Gard then we should be able to read and critically evaluate our own indy stuff and either engage in intelligent debate or shut the feck up. There are elements of the indy movement who are real nae sayers, well, they don’t, in your words deserve any traffic, sometimes Andy Warhol’s words about famous for 15 minutes comes to me. “A um famous me, coz I got 100 likes on fb when I called that *** [insert name here] a **** ” Sigh!
just read the piece referred to below. Nail it to them Stu.
Would you have laughed it off if you were called a homophobe during FMQS, and in a newspaper column? Kez Dugdale brought this up in an attempt to smear the SNP as a party, their MPs & MSPs.
I’m sure she knew the risk she was running (after all, Wings has been litigious in the past,) and now she’ll have to pay the price.
Yet another great article.
Well said sir,some people don’t understand that in ” normal ” countries people don’t agree about everything if they did it wouldn’t be ” normal ” , Christ my last comment on here was to disagree with you,and you are my favourite writer bar none
Well said Paul, as always a voice of reason.
A sense of perspective, yeah sure. The remark by Rev Stu concerning Mundell and his son was hurtful to them I’d expect.
I’ve read the article by Angela Haggart in today’s Sunday Herald. Unpleasant is my muted view of the article, and the article will have the ant-Indy, anti Wings brigade nodding their heads in agreement. Is perhaps a dislike of Rev Stu clouding her judgement? Should we say nothing regards her article for the sake of unity and the belief she is pro-Iindependence?
Cat Boyd, is she pro-Independence, or is it a convenient banner to wave whilst she in truth is a supporter of the Unionist Labour party? Did she simply mis-speak concerning her vote? Should we say nothing?
Consider the much larger hurt D Mundell brings upon Scotland with his Tory politics. My view is that he consciously acts against the interests of Scotland. Then we have the discredited d’Hondt List vote? a voting system that does a disservice to Scotland, serves up Murdo Fraser, 7 times loser at elections sitting as a List MSP. Muddle’s son, also a List MSP? (Muddle! I’m leaving that in.).
Rev Stu’s comment on the Mundells is of little consequence in comparison the the behaviour of those I’ve mentioned above. That is my perspective on current happenings.
Junior Muddle is, alas, a constituency MSP (Dumfries).
The reason why the Tory Party is so successful and long-lived is that they have one central principle that they all live by, i.e. the retention of the status quo in terms of land, wealth and the resulting power that comes from the concentration of these two things in a few hands. By ‘the Tory Party’ I do not mean the middle and working class who are deluded enough to support them. I mean the (landed and wealthy) Crown, the (landed and wealthy) aristocracy and the State apparatus that acts as publicists and cheer-leaders for them.
The present Old Eton boys club spat will not damage the underlying unity of the Tory Party. Individuals might be sacrificed but the Party will continue.
The Scottish Independence movement needs to take heed of the Dug’s words and concentrate on getting independence and then we can all go our separate political ways towards making Scotland as good as it can be. We must not fragment and start fighting amongst ourselves.
O/T There was much trumpeting of the ceremonies to commemorate the start of Paschendale. The great and the good will be getting their pictures taken paying tribute to the dead of that campaign. At the same time it was being announced that a charity dealing with ex-servicemen was in danger of going under for lack of funds. There is no-one left from the 1st World War but there was an interview with a World War2 ex-serviceman who described how the charity had helped him to deal with the effects of his experiences during that conflict.
Where are the ‘Queen and Country’ brigade when it comes to putting their hands in their pockets? s.
Why do something to support the Vets charity by raising funds, when its imminent closure can be used as a stick to beat ScotGov with?
Another voice of reason, in effect a grown-up view of the situation.
Labour trawl social media to find things to attack the Indy movement. We’ve seen their tactics in action before but still there are folk who fall for it or is it enjoy a chance to be aggrieved at someone they dislike.
The sooner Labour find another scapegoat the better. Oh, wait, isn’t that supposed to be the Tories? 😀
Well said , the SNP does not hold the copy right on independence ; Wings has played a crucial role in refuting unionist propaganda. I don’t know that I’d be happy to have him as a son in law but I’ m grateful that he”s on our side.
Well said Paul and could not agree more.
Posted this elsewhere yesterday, but this seems the very thread to repeat:-
Yeah, its getting a bit tedious being told by some folk whether you’re ‘right on’ or ‘radical’ enough to be a supporter of self determination.
I don’t really get involved in such discussions or arguments. They are, by and large, completely counterproductive. The YES movement is a broad church. All parties and no parties. All levels of society. All creeds. All points of origin. All of us together. Natural born and new Scot. It’s kinda what makes you a country. A government willing to govern for all (not simply a demographic), THAT is what makes them fit for ‘the day job’.
What makes you a YES voter?
Last I checked, it’s the belief that the peoples of Scotland are best placed to make decisions affecting the peoples of Scotland. Self determination. You don’t need to come from any particular part of the political or societal spectrum. You just need to believe in that simple principle.
Tolerance, inclusion, belief in your inalienable right to choose your own governance and above all caring. That’ll do for me. (ends)
Just to be perfectly clear though.
No one and I do mean NO ONE, tells you whether you’re ‘right on’ enough to vote for self determination.
An excellent article. There are two key points for me, both cogently stated:
Sovereignty must be held by the people of Scotland;
We should revel in diversity.
I’d say we maybe don’t deserve independence until we are doing that better.
We’ll done, wee dug.
Well said, Paul.
Egos – they’re a right pain in the arse.
It has all been said – a loud hear , hear from me!
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
To coin a well known phrase from the past “wee are the people”. Yes we are. A great, fair, and friendly people. We are Scotland. I know we have ignorant twats amongst us that eugenics can rectify. But that’s life.
You are correct Paul in everything you say. The trouble is some twats never learn.
Paul you are probably the most sensible person on social media these days, any chance of you being first minister some day? I know Scotland would be in safe hands!
… and paws 😉
This is the sort of approach we need if we want to win independence.
It’s about have a movement that will persuade former no voters to change their mind and join in.
its the silly season & its all rather silly, innit
Indeed. And the sooner we get back to some proper campaigning the better!
And Nicola, next time Kez has a fizzy over Stu, simply smile and deflect: point out that Stu is just a private punter that votes LibDem…more of a problem for Wee Willie Rennie.
You express this perfectly. A rather distilled view of mine.
Cannot wait to stop being told my National Anthem is that hideous dirge on the BBC at the WW1 commemorations.
Spot on, as usual.
Many years ago when my hair was a lot longer I entered into an argument with a student who was preaching about a utopia only reachable after a workers revolt which, since I was a worker and he, from a comfortable middle class background revelling in ostentatious slumming whilst newly freed from parental control, was not, struck me as a load of pretentious twaddle. (He went on to become an accountant) So I am less than impressed by those who claim their version of utopia will be a superior version of utopia whilst decrying anyone daring to suggest that, instead of getting distracted by arguments over the number of different viewpoints that can be balanced on the head of a pin, would it not be better to actually start the journey?
The Scottish Independence movement will, and should, represent a broad spectrum of society, encompassing a wide and diverse range of views and opinions which will help shape Scotland’s future. A future that will be decided by the people of Scotland. The people of a sovereign nation.
What is happening, I think, is that some people are starting to take for granted the goal of an independent Scotland and, to stretch the metaphor, are taking their eye off the ball, getting distracted by activities on the side-lines. And, as we are in the silly season and the meeja, which is used to being spoon-fed copy, is having to make stuff up, (there was a puff piece about Col. Ruth Harrison in the Economist), is giving a disproportionate amount of space to stuff which would normally have been ignored. Hence, the Rev dot Stuart Campbell and the wee blog he maintains are getting excellent publicity and some, who possible resent this, are going ‘me, me, me, me, I can write one thousand words about me, me, me,’, the result of which is picked over by various bloggers and commented upon which, three hundred a some words later, is looking a bit recursive.
So let’s reiterate… we, the people of Scotland, the people in Scotland, are in a situation not of our choosing whereby out future is jeopardised by the in-fighting of the tory party and we will have to make a decision to continue being part of the UK and go over the Brexit cliff or become an independent country and make our own decisions. Like a proper grown up country.
“Independence is the belief that politicians of any hue cannot be trusted, and that we need to hold them close to us so that their arses are within kicking distance of our feet.”
This, absolutely, is what it’s all about – nothing else.
Another excellent post, Paul, and one that badly needed posting. The Independence movement is about we, the people of Scotland, having the power to make our own decisions. It is not about telling people in advance what those decisions ought to be; it is not about obsessing over who said what about whom; it is not about trying to exclude and marginalise any and all who do not agree with every word we say. We can stick with the status quo if that’s what we want!
Well if this case does go to all the way, I intend to travel to Edinburgh and stand outside the court with my “Wings Over Scotland” umbrella held aloft, it’s bound to be raining, come and join me!
Great piece as always and thanks for supporting the Yes Picnic. All surplus food went to South Ayrshire foodbank
Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
True…..have you seen what people put on Facebook.
Sadly – yes!
This is a good read. Living in Spain, my vote is hypothetical, but this is precisely how I felt in 2014 and now.
What we have right now in Government in Westminster is a a small far right group whose adherents were funded by a far right billionaire.
You can see the results of their policies.
Far left or Far right are both dangerous when they get power.
Your usual excellent analysis showing your ability to make sense out of nonsense.
In today’s multimedia world, the trouble with trying to make a name for yourself, to make a difference, to stand up and be counted, to champion the little guy, to fight for truth, justice, and the American Way, is that all the good slots have already been taken.
Florence Nightingale, Louis Pasteur, Mother Theresa, George Orwell, Jimmy Reid, Grace Darling, John Maynard Keynes, Isaac Newton, John Logie Baird, and so on, are ‘names’ which live on and whose words, deeds and remarkable lives and achievements are so embedded in our psyche, our culture, and language that mere mention of their ‘names’ conjures up images of Pasteurised milk, Orwellian dystopia, Keynsian economics, Newtonian physics, modern nursing, caring for the world’s poor, defending workers’ rights, selfless rescuing of survivors at sea, developing the first mechanical ‘tele-vision’.
In today’s 21st Century Celebrity obsessed world, making a name for yourself needn’t involve anything as tiresome as genius, dedication, self- sacrifice or being at the cutting edge of world changing philosophy or invention.
Marry a Premier League footballer, and you are suddenly the darling of Celebrity Mags, and paid millions to endorse perfume, front your own brand of designer togs, and of course the world of ‘reality’ (sic) bubblegum for the mind TV will beat a path to your luxury 10 bedroom mansion in Essex door waving millions in your face to appear in their ‘Idiocracy’ (q.v.) rated shows.
Eat grubs in the Australian Outback, be a celebrity competitor on any of the BBC’s ‘Great British’ series, perhaps develop a drugs or drink problem, get pregnant, attend a gala do with Royals.
Fame and money no object.
You have ‘made a name for yourself’. You have arrived.
Modern politics has not been immune to the Fame Game.
I’d rather have the hairs on my extremely hirsute inner thighs removed by a spotty trainee depilationist (is that a word?) using rusty old tweezers sans anaesthetic than watch ‘reality TV’. But I read the Dead Tree Scroll reports.
George Galloway on Big Brother humiliating himself, Ed Balls and Anne Widdicombe on ‘Strictly’, Ruth Davidson of HIGNFY, to name but a few.
I assume that money changed hands.
For many of us they could never print enough money.
Rennie, Dugdale and Davidson, like John Major, ‘rose without trace’ and stand on the shoulders of midgets like Tavish, and Jim, and Goldielocks.
The Scottish Media set about ‘making names’ for them.
Davidson cuddling cod, grinning inanely astride an unsuspecting ungulate, and infamously, mirroring Thatcher, legs akimbo, dry humping the cock and balls of a tank, the Union Flag fluttering in the background.
Rennie has been out and about too, and Dugdale’s every word is column fillers for ‘will say’ Dead Tree Hacks who no longer make any pretence at being journalists any more.
By happenstance, Dugdale and Davidson are lesbians.
Refreshingly, but the change still is as agonisingly slow as an oil tanker coming to a halt in the English Channel, quite a few of Scotland’s political class are gay or lesbian.
Mundell senior is gay.
In the last few weeks, Davidson and Dugdale have played the homophobia card, weaponising their sexuality, their targets inevitably pro Independence bloggers and cybernats.
In a blatant Unionist put up job, Davidson was ‘invited’ to a pre Women’s Open Golf tournament seminar/forum/ workshop or whatever, chaired by Sarah Smith, and sponsored by Aberdeen Assets Management, where she revealed, and was subsequently reported all over the Yoon Meda, that she had been the victim of abuse ; she agonises over words like ‘dyke’ and ‘useless’, and it’s those nasty cybernats in their mothers’ basements at their key boards in their underpants who are daring to sully her good name.
Meantime Smith was rabbeting on about equal pay for wummin at the Beeb. Aye,right.
Then Dugdale jumps on the band wagon.
She rides to the defence of her Better Together co-conspirator, Mundell the Mighty.
Historically she has had nothing to say to the Blue Tories across the Holyrood Chamber about the Rape Clause, the dementia Tax, privatising the NHS, Tuition Fees, cutting ESA to disabled Job Seekers by £30 a week, scrapping Housing Benefit for 18-21 year olds rendering thousands instantly homeless, or Trident, or hundreds of UK bombing missions into Syria, or 260,000 Scots children in poverty because of Blue Tory / Red Tory austerity cuts.
But at the hint of ‘making a name for herself’ she rushes to the defence of the Blue Tory Figurehead Up Here, on the spurious basis that Stu Campbell , who has been a persistent and painful thorn in her side, is suddenly a gay basher. Aye, right,
Stu Campbell is not gay, as far as I know.
He is a mighty, if sometimes brash, brusque, crude, offensive, but in the main a powerful and mercilessly accurate debunker of Unionist lies, threats and distortions churned out by Yoon politicians, the MSM, and Big Brit Business Fear Mongers.
His remark about Mundell was perhaps tasteless. But homophobia?
Let us let the courts decide.
Until then let it be sub judice.
Except of course if you are a minor politician in a fledgling pro Independence Left Wing Socialist group, which has ambitions of one day maturing into a grown up political ‘party’. the Mundell/Campbell/ Dugdale spat is manna from Celebrity Heaven if you want to make a name for yourself.
‘I’m backing Dugdale, who is backing Mundell, on this; I am champion of downtrodden queer folk.’
Lots of radio and telly interviews, barn storming articles in the dailies.
Name well on the road to being made.
Likewise, the journos who have latched on to this non story.
Which hack who wanted to make a name for themself could resist a double dunt at the Yes Movement which included homophobia?
Well we all know that Campbell is a rude homophobe and bitter twister of the truth.
Take him out of the blogosphere and it’s a major dent in the Yes battle bus.
And I get my beaming face above the byline, and lots of interviews on the telly and radio.
I’ll be reviewing the latest movies on the Janet Forsyth show any day now.
Meanwhile England trudges nearer to the edge in Dover and Beachy Head.
Scotland is being dragged with them.
Let some other drudge of a hack chase the Brexit runaway bus.
This time next year I’m gonna be famous!
You notice that I name none of the chancers who have clambered aboard this spectacular piece of mindless Celebrity foppery.
As Paul puts it; you are either part of the solution, or part of the problem.
Put your egos on hold until Independence Day Plus One.
Aye, very well said, Jack.
Sometimes I think, “what is the point of Scottish independence?”
And the point is a better, fairer society. Is it not?
Keep fighting the good fight, one day we’ll prevail.
We’re about to get a second, a very rare second, chance at this. If this fails, for any reason, I think it would be prudent if our new celebs refrained from passing any comment. Don’t think I’d be up for someone ‘splaining in a thousand really long wurds ‘how it all went wrong’ because…
indeed, Sam.
Funny how Paul, Stu, Derek, or Grouse Beater to name but a few, never get an invite from GMS or BBC TV or STV for that matter, to discuss the day’s events.
We have one chance left.
No more Mr Nice Guy.
Well said Jack but, in fairness, Ms Dugdale was quite vocal, and in fact made an impassioned speech in Holyrood against the Rape Clause. I don’t have much time for Dippity Dug in the normal run of affairs, but on this she must be given her due.
Doesn’t change the fact that she was bang out of order in this instance, just felt that I should correct the record 🙂
Rab, I’m taking that into account.
While she quite rightly condemned the Rape Clause, her WM Handlers committed in Corbyn’s manifesto to only mitigate 2/5ths of the Blue Tories’ £32 billion cuts under the guise of austerity and hard choices. Rob the poor, give to the rich.
Chukka and Yvette are ok with that.
No mention of repealing the Universal Credit Scheme, which includes the two child cap, among other cuts; for example nearly £30 a week cut in Employment Support Allowances to disabled Jobseekers, and scrapping HB for an estimated 4000 18-21 year olds who have been rendered homeless at the stroke of a pen, while JK Rowling and Richard Branson get a 5% cut in their income tax.
She can bluster with the best of them, but in her heart of hearts she is a Blairite, and in January 2016 The Labour Party, and the Lib Dems marched with the Tories through the Yea lobby to vote through the Budget for Fiscal Responsibility, in the form of the £32 billion cuts mentioned above.
She is a Remainer who now joins forces with Davidson to get the best deal possible for ‘Britain’, and to hell with the 62% of her constituents (silly me, I forgot. She doesn’t have any ‘constituents’. She lost, and snuck in the back door as a list Add On.) who voted Remain.
She is not in the slightest bit interested in fighting Scotland’s corner, and has taken the easy way out and abdicated her responsibility to those Scots who voted Labour.
Rennie Dugdale and Davidson are lightweight gatekeepers in the eyes of their London Masters.
They don’t even pretend that they can influence WM, and will lie, bombast, distort and insult Scotland and the Scottish people, with the more than willing cooperation of the Dead Tree Scrolls, and the State Broadcaster.
They don’t give a bag of belly button fluff about the land of their birth.
This observation I declare to their eternal shame.
Davidson will be off South soon.
Can I contribute a message to her leaving card?
‘Where’s the common cause
Too many factions
Safely sulk in their shells
Agree with us on everything
Or we won’t help with anything
That kind of attitude
Just makes a split grow wider
Guess who’s laughing while the world explodes
When we’re all crybabies
Who fight best among ourselves’ – Dead Kennedys.
These american-extremism-educated hardcore leftist holier-than-thou types have really gone off the rails, when it comes to modern life and reality. It’s tragic, frustrating and disgusting at the same time. They don’t even know there is a bigger picture to see, they are so busy examining the hyper-PC minutiae every every utterance in the media. They seriously just need to GET A GRIP.
The infighting of the People’s Front of Judea sadly comes often to mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtqEcLK_Xf0
It cannot be said enough times (although Paul has said it many times) that David Mundell voted against the repeal of Section 28 when he was an MSP. Mundell was happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with arch-homophobe Brian Souter, the closeted Cardinal Keith O’Brein and the bigoted Daily Record in the “Keep the Clause” campaign. Was Fluffy a homophobe then? Has he ever apologised?.